The Dark Side of the Show: The Rasmus Frontman Admits to Surviving a Missile Attack in Kyiv

Imagine this: you come to a foreign country for a concert, you’re getting ready to rock the stage and meet your fans, but instead, you’re forced to sit in a bomb shelter and track messages about missiles flying toward cities. This is exactly how the visit of the legendary Finnish rock band The Rasmus to Ukraine began. The musicians, who represented their country at Eurovision 2022, were headliners at one of the country’s largest festivals, but this trip turned out to be much deeper for them than just a stage performance, reports MODISTA.

They came to support Ukrainians and to give a concert that became a symbol of unbreakable spirit. And they saw everything with their own eyes — ruined buildings, damaged streets, and historical monuments scarred by the war. These weren’t news stories from a TV or pictures from the internet. It was a reality that pierced them to the core.

Documentary Chronicle: Emotions, Reflections, Reality

The band shared everything they had to endure in Kyiv in their short film, which was released on their official YouTube channel. It’s not just a travel report but a true documentary chronicle filled with emotions and deep reflections. The band’s frontman, Lauri Ylönen, candidly shared his memories of that time. He said that he and his bandmates stayed in a hotel with a shelter, which became their refuge from the Russian attacks.

What struck him most was how normal it had become for Ukrainians to track threats. “It was scary to sit on the air raid app in the evening or at night before bed and read messages about missiles that were currently in the air or had already hit the ground. Okay, there are 300 drones and 13 missiles in the air. It was just like me scrolling through Facebook,” Lauri Ylönen shared. These words perfectly convey the absurdity and horror of a war that has become a part of everyday life.

More Than Music: Meetings and Good Deeds

The musicians’ visit wasn’t limited to the concert venue. They visited the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, where they spoke with young patients. These were meetings that were both inspiring and heartbreaking. In addition, they didn’t forget about their fans, whom they met not only at the festival but also during walks around the city. These moments became a source of support for them and proof that their music is truly important to Ukrainians.

The funds raised from the views of this film will also be donated by The Rasmus to help Ukraine. This is not their first charitable initiative. During their performance at the Atlas Festival, the musicians helped raise 3.5 million hryvnias, which were used to purchase necessary surgical equipment for the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital.

This documentary became a powerful tool for the band to convey the truth about the war to their fans worldwide. The film was released in Finnish with English subtitles, allowing even more people to learn about the real realities that Ukrainians face every day.